What is Cotard’s Syndrome?
Imagine waking up one day to the shocking realization that you’re dead – when everyone around you seems to think you’re alive. People suffering from Cotard’s Syndrome, or Walking Corpse Syndrome, experience this every day. Walking Corpse Syndrome is a neuropsychiatric condition in which the sufferer develops a false belief that they are dead, dying, immortal, or that some of their body parts are missing. This rare disease is said to stem from other brain injuries/conditions, and there are only around 200 known cases worldwide.
Symptoms
There are many symptoms of Walking Corpse Syndrome, ranging from social behaviors to conditions like depression. These symptoms include hearing voices, refusing to eat, intense depression/sadness, insensitivity to pain, attempts at self-harm, and decline in social activity (some even stop speaking). When experiencing Walking Corpse Syndrome, the sufferer’s false belief of being dead, dying, or immortal is often strengthened by these symptoms, no matter what others tell them. For example, someone who believes they are hearing voices might think that they are being told they are dead or dying, or someone who believes they are immortal might decide not to eat because they assume they don’t need to.
Walking Corpse Syndrome usually occurs in the early 50s, even more commonly in people suffering from mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Other assumed causes include forms of brain damage, such as strokes, tumors, and injuries. Despite these assumptions, the cause of Walking Corpse Syndrome is unknown.
Treatments
The most common treatments for Walking Corpse Syndrome include several types of medication along with specific types of talk therapy. Similar talk therapy examples include CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) or psychotherapy. However, for some people, electroconvulsive therapy is used. This is a process in which tiny electric currents are sent through the brain. This can also clear mental health problems.
In conclusion, while Walking Corpse Syndrome may not be well-known now, it certainly should not be taken lightly.
RELATED STORIES:
https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/cotards-syndrome
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4271387/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/cotard-delusion-schizophrenia
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.neuropsych.17010018
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/what_are_the_symptoms_of_walking_corpse_syndrome/article_em.htm
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